NOT RUNNING MAKES ME CRANKY!!

This gal 'bout sums up how I feel about havin to take a running break....

>Thanks Google images for the picture<

I am taking a full 7 day off running. I think I came VERY close to injury last week in my post-race stupidity.
After running the 10K race on Sunday I proceeded to do a HARD elliptical and 'mill workout the following day and a lower body weights workout (should have rested on this day TOTALLY).
THEN I ran 6 miles IN NEW SHOES on Tuesday (should have done a VERY light elliptical workout this day)....My legs felt VERY sore this whole day....
SHOULD HAVE rested for a couple days AFTER this but I still cross trained on Wed and Thursday and did a EASY 4.5 mi run on Friday, as shown below on my Garmin data....isnt that a purty run? Looks like some type of tractor or somethin 'farmish'....

Anyway, my knees starting REALLY bothering me after that run and I KNEW that I was THIS CLOSE to injury....my plan to was to take a FULL rest day Saturday, stay off my feet as much as possible, then do my long run on Sunday as normal but in my old shoes...BUT I thought better of it and took Saturday AND Sunday off. Total rest days. I had forgotten how grumpy they make me. I need to get a good sweat on to rid myself on the crank monster.
ANYWAY, I did a very easy 35min elliptical workout on Monday morning (wanted to do an hour but thought that might be too much). Knees were still hurting afterwards. THIS morning I did 35min again but went harder and my knees actually feel almost normal! I am going to wait til Friday to run and then I am only going to do 2-3 VERY easy miles on the treadmill.(Boo.)


Last Thursday was my youngest daughters birthday. She turned 6! WHERE has the time gone??
Anyway, we made homemade brownies (which called for 2 CUPS of sugar-good grief!!) and our famous hot fudge sundae crockpot cake. Which I ate WAY to much of. I made 2 batches and I ate almost a WHOLE batch myself in a day! Woah.



However, I DID negate some of the damage by having THIS for snack that same day, that's GOTTA count for something, right??

The girls looking thru the fireworks before lighting. At which time they all proceeded to cover their ears and sustain that position for the next 30minutes.

Ok, thats not ENTIRELY true, my older 2 are getting a bit better about airing their ears out for small stretches of time during the pyro-palooza.

They went to their first 4th of July parade this year (actually first of ANY type of parade) and they LOVED it. These little cars were a favorite. They called them 'Mario and Luigi'. Can you guess which Wii games are a favorite right now? =)

WORKOUTS

July 1: 4.5mi run 49:18 (10:58) Splits 1(11:18) 2(11:02) 3(10:48) 4(10:51) .5(10:37 pace)....sit ups, plank (70,65,60), 100 push up challenge week 6 day 3

July 4: elliptical 7.7mi 35 minutes

July 5: elliptical 7.9 mi 35 minutes.....sit ups, planks (75,70,65), 100 push up challenge week 6 day 1

Boring stuff

Ok, so this post is all the BORING stuff from the last month or so. Training, splits yadda yadda yadda. To see the SLIGHTLY less boring stuff, scroll down to the next post.
Please and thank you.



Thanks to Google Images for the picture.

Mid to end of May workouts16th: elliptical 30:00 5.65mi
17th: 'mill hike 30:00 1.65mi
18th: sit ups, push challenge week 5 day 1, planks (40,45,50 seconds)
19th: 3.75 mi run 39:19 (10:28 pace) splits: 1(10:53) 2(10:39) 3(10:09) .75(10:17 pace), upper body
20th: sit ups, push up challenge week 5 day 3, planks (40,45,50 seconds)
21: 'mill hike 45:00 2.65mi (took my resting HR this morning and it was 47bpm!)
22: 7.13mi run, 1:13:04, (10:14 pace) Splits: 1(10:33) 2(10:16) 3(10:17) 4(10:13) 5(10:03) 6(10:15) 7(10:03) .13 (10:13 pace)
23: elliptical 60:00, 12mi (easy pace), lower body weights
24: 5mi run, 50:51 (10:10 pace) Splits: 1(11:08) 2(10:25) 3(10:12) 4(9:39) 5(9:25), upper body weights
25: elliptical 50:00 (10.3mi), 35:00-50:00 was 2/1 intervals, mill walk, 20:00 2.25mi, lower body, push ups
26: 3.75 mi 33:41 (8:59) Splits: 1(10:23) 2(8:55) 3(8:27) .75 (7.56 pace), upper body weights, sit ups, planks (50, 45, 40)
27: 2mi mill run 22:00, elliptical-40:00 7.66mi (lower HR), lower body weights, push ups, *did 150 squats with 5# dumbells!28: mill hike (easy) 30:00 1.75mi

29: 1.8mi outside run 19:15 (10:42 pace), 3.2mi 'mill run (32:45)-started to thunder during my run outside!30: BIKE ride 15.2mi, 1:14
31: 6mi run 58:28 (9:45) Splits: 1(10:17) 2(10:12) 3(9:56) 4(9:34) 5(9:17) 6(9:10), push up challenge week 6 day 1, sit ups, upper body
END OF MONTH: 105.8lbs, 71 running miles, YTD running miles: 287.91
JUNE WORKOUTS
1st: BIKE 10mi 47:21 (12.7mph), elliptical 20:00min, 4:35, lower body weights
2nd: 4mi run 38:15 (9:34) Splits 1(10:23) 2(10:09) 3(9:13) 4(8:29), sit ups, push up challenge wk 6 day 1, plank (60, 55, 50), upper body weights
3rd: BIKE 7.06mi (34:35), 2mi run 19:50 (9:55) Splits: 1(9:59) 2(9:50) *first BRICK workout-liked it, but it was tough!4th: BIKE 44mi 4:21:54

5th: 7.1mi 1:17:44 (10:57) Splits 1(11:41) 2(11:15) 3(11:07) 4(11:24) 5(10:45) 6(10:27) 7(10:01) .1 (10:28 pace) *took this run NICE and easy after the LONG bike ride yesterday. Legs a bit sore but not too bad6th: BIKE 12mi, 55:11 (13mph), 'mill hike 1.85mi, 30:00, push up challenge week 6 day 1, lower body weights
7th: 5.4mi run 56:10, (10:24) Splits 1(10:59) 2(10:32) 3(10:50) 4(10:14) 5(9:33) .4 (10:05 pace), upper body weights *very humid this morning!
8th: elliptical 45:00 9.3mi, sit ups, push up challenge week 6 day 1, planks (60,55,50), lower body weights
9th: 4mi run, 38:15 (9:34) Splits 1(10:35) 2(10:04) 3(9:07) 4(8.25), upper body weights
10th: 3mi run 32:25 (10:49) Splits 1(11:13) 2(10:39) 3(10:32), sit ups, push up challenge week 6 day 1, planks (60,55,50), lower body weights
11th: mill hike 25:00min, 1.5mi, upper body weights

12th: 9mi run 1:32:06 (10:14) Splits 1(10:24) 2(10:27) 3(10:29) 4(10:19) 5(10:26) 6(10:34) 7(10:05) 8(10:01) 9(9:25), sit ups, push up challenge week 6 day 1, planks (70, 60, 55)
13th BIKE 12mi 55:22, (13mph), lower body weights
14th: 5.5mi run 54:49 (9:58) Splits: 1(10:36) 2(10:34) 3(9:42) 4(9:25) 5(9.33) .5 (9:55 pace), sit ups, push up challenge week 6 day 2, planks (70,65,60)
15: elliptical 45:00 10mi tempo pace, lower body weights
16th: 5mi run, 47:47, (9:34) Splits: 1(10:51) 2(10:30) 3(9:21) 4(8:29) 5(8:34), sit ups, push up challenge week 6 day 3, planks (75, 70, 60)
17th: 3mi run 30:58 (10:20) Splits 1(10:49) 2(10:26) 3(9:42)
18th: BIKE ride 33mi, 3 hours

19th: 10mi run 1:41:11 (10:07) Splits 1(10:34) 2(10:32) 3(10:27) 4(9:56) 5(9:46) 6(10:14) 7(10:40) 8(9:44) 9(9:57) 10(9:17)
20th: elliptical 25:00, 16min was 1/1 intervals, lower body weights, sit ups, push up challenge week 6 day 1, planks (60,65,70)
21st: 5mi run 51:36 (10:19) Splits 1(10:56) 2(10:58) 3(10:07) 4(10:09) 5(9:44), upper body weights
22nd: elliptical 20:00, 4.9 mi (tempo hard), lower body weights *did weights first followed by ellitpical*, sit ups, push up challenge week 6 day 2, plank (70,65,60)
23rd:5mi run 50:59 (10:12) Splits 1(10:56) 2(10:35) 3(10:11) 4(10:06) 5(9:08), upper body weights
24th: elliptical workout, easy lower body weights

26th: 10K race 55:08 (8:46) Splits 1(9:33) 2(8:37) 3(8:49) 4(8:44) 5(8:46) 6(8:24) .28 (7:23 pace)....placed 3/7 for age group (30-34), placed 58/138 overall. 3rd place age group award winner27th: mill hike 20:00 1.18mi, elliptical 30:00 7mi (tempo pace), easy lower body, sit ups, push up challenge week 6 day 1, plank (70,65,60) *should have rested today instead of work out28th: 6mi run 1:02:48 (10:28) Splits: 1(11:06) 2(11:11) 3(10:57) 4(9:55) 5(10:21) 6(9:15) *ran in my new shoes! DEFINITELY should NOT have run today, I should have taken 2-4 run rest day before my post-race run. My legs and knees were telling me so. =)29th: elliptical 40:00 7.8 mi (easy), sit ups, push up challenge week 6 day 2, planks (70,65,60)
30th: 'mill hike 20:00 1.18mi, elliptical 30:00 6.5mi (easy), upper body weights


END OF MONTH: 101lbs, waist: 25.5", hips 33.5", L thigh: 18", L calf 13 1/4", running miles 80.2, YTD running miles 368.11

Fun stuff

So here are some of the highlights from the last month, plus.

June 26, 2011
FIRST 10K race! Siena/Francis House 10K and 5K Run/Walk held at Lake Z, 8am.
>>>>I got an age group award!!!<<<<

I have been pretty excited for this race. It is the first 10K race I've done, AND it was less than a mile from my house. Sweet.
I woke up around 5:30, got dressed and fueled up at 6 with my trash of choice which was a crunchy peanut butter and jelly sandwich. SO yummy. Drank a little water (made sure to hydrate well the day before) and got my stuff together. Bib #, Garmin, tunes, hydration belt and a long sleeve shirt as it was going to ever so slightly chilly and I look worse than a shaved chihuahua when I am chilly. I seriously move the earth when I shiver.

This race was well organized and I would definitely run it again. Lots of pre and post race food (yogurt, several varieties of bagels and cream cheese, large variety of muffins, gatorate type drinks and bottled water and a bushels of 'bars' (nature valley, power bar, wheaties bars etc)...

10K started 5min before the 5K which started 5min before the walkers. SO wish I would have brought my camera.

I feel I ran the race well, going easier at the beginning and gradually picking up the pace as I went. I started out pretty much at the WAY back of the pack. I think that's going to be my starting place in every race I do. I feels SO good to be able to pass people =)

My friend Jody took these race pics. The race photographer has some on his site too, so I am waiting for him to email me the attachements so I can bombard you with more of my dorkiness.

*Right after the first mile and waving the dorky flag with pride.

At the finish. My 'official' time was 55:11, which puts me 11 seconds OVER the time limit to be a select seeded runner in the Corp. Cup 10K race in September (still puts in as a seeded runner though). My soft goal for this race was 65min, my hard goal was 60min, so I was VERY pleased.
HOWEVER, I ran the tangents WELL and still my Garmin showed a further distance. When I hit stop at the finishline, my watch was 55:00 EVEN and a distance of 6.28. Oh well.


After the race I hung around w/ my friend Jayne to see if she placed in her age group (she was in the age group above me) and she got 3rd!! So we were looking at her medal and I thought I heard the announcer call my name. I thought 'Surely they didnt....I'm not even gonna ask cuz I'll be too embarrassed when they laugh in my face'.
Anyway, I braved up and went and asked if they called my name and sure enough, they had!!
They told me I got 2nd, but later found out it was actually 3rd (there were no timing chips, they just ripped the bottom of your bib off quickly after you passed the finishline.)
I was positively GIDDY with excitement. I actually clapped my hands like a 5yr old when I got in the car.

________________________________________
Went biking w/the hubby earlier this month at Wabash Trace in CB Iowa. Gorgeous crushed limestone trail. We biked 22 miles out and 22 mi back. Its an EVER so slight decline starting about 6mi from where WE started ALL the way to our destination (Malvern, IA). NICE for going out but you sure FELT it coming back. Wasn't horrible but we were WORKING it.

We stopped in Malvern and ate at a little cafe there. I think we'll try the one across the street next time as neither of us cared for the food.

*This was a creek we went over w/ what looked like old railroad cars decaying on the banks.

*A picture of the gorgeous trail. The whole thing is pretty much like this so it was nice and cool.

*Queen of Dorks*

*thought this was cool at the time. Cant remember what those containers said on the side...

*rekinky-dinky little town we passed thru

*NEW SHOES! I have pretty much miled my old Nikes out. The back of the heels were wearing down and I was starting to get sore feet and legs after every run. I am VERY partial to my 2010 Air Max's which pretty much NO store carries anymore (dont really like the 2011), so hubby ordered these online for me. AND bought an extra pair!! So now when these decide to poop out on me I have a back up pair.

*The old shoes. You served me well, my friends.

*these are the heels of my old shoes. Not only am I a pretty pronounced heel striker but I notice I scuff my heels alot when running up hill so these have taken quite the beating as I LOVE uphills

*They have no clue what's in store for them....BWAHAHAHA!!!
*Here's my calendar/planner I have been using since January. The highlighted areas are my runs (so I can easily see when I have run and how far). The paper next to it is where I write down the splits from my runs. I mark on here what exercise I did for the day, for how long and what distance. Also mark my weight workouts, sit ups, push ups and planks.

Went thrifting this past month. I *HEART* thrifting. I am like a lion when it comes to the thrill of the hunt.

*Got a bunch of past sof running magazines for .29 each!
*SUPER awesome Nike jacket for $4!! Fits me like a GLOVE.

*Has a sweet little pocket in the back too. No clue what I could use it for, but still. Cool.

On another note, I am almost at my weight goal! I set a goal beginning of March that I wanted to get from my weight of 111-112lbs down to 100lbs which I think looks better on my frame. This morning I was 101!! Getting so close!

I have been running 4x a week after my 1/2 marathon in May (Sun-long run, Tues-easy, Thurs-tempo, Fri-short and easy) and then cross training on other days with the elliptical, bike or a treadmill hike. Doing lower body weights 3x a week and upper body 3x a week. Also going sit ups, push ups and planks 3x a week.

The sit ups/push ups/plank routine takes 30min. I do a routine hubby and a friend made up years ago along w/ the '100pushup challenge routine' (I have been on week 6 for a few weeks now) and for planks I do 3 sets for 70, 65, and 60 seconds. Considering I started out doing them for only 30 seconds, I should say I am improving in this area!)

Trying to cycle my calories. Some days I am around 1,500, other days close to 2,000 and sometimes as high as 2,500! Drinking LOTS of water 7-8 16oz glasses a day.

Here's a sample of a lunch for me:

1/4c cottage cheese (40), 1/2 orange (35), blueberries (20), wrap (160) for a total of 255 calories.

Now if I could JUST resist the potato chips and cinnamon toast crunch, we'd be in business! But ya gotta have a little naughty amongst the nice, right? =)

2011 Papillion 1/2 marathon! My first EVER-pics included!

I DID IT!!!! Ran my first 1/2 marathon. and LOVED it, crummy weather and all!!

I was anxious about this race for a couple different reasons. #1, it is known for being hilly and I didnt know how well I would hold up running 13.1 miles on a hilly course....#2 I was on the brink of a possible sickness which meant that A)I didnt know if I would GET to run and B) if I DID run, would my performance be hampered by all the hackin' and snot rocketing I would be doing...

Anyway, after drinking over a GALLON of water on Friday and Saturday (and no I am NOT kidding and just so ya know, its also a great way to lose a little weight-lost a pound between Fri morn and Sat morning!) as well as taking near lethal amounts of VitC, zinc and apple cider vinegar, I felt that I had it at bay enough to give it a whirl.

Slept crummy the night before. Woke up a ton and when I did sleep had all sorts of weird dreams about not finding my way to the race, waking up after race time, not being to find all my race items the morning of etc etc...
Woke up at 5:30 and had a pb and j sammy around 6. Checked the weather about 47 times before deciding on what to wear. It was 44* out with a windchill of 39*-yuck. I would find out when pulling out of my garage that it was also drizzly-double yuck.
Being that I didnt know if I was getting sick, I went on the safe side and wore my Chill Chasers under my shorts, a SS shirt, a LS shirt, my jacket, neck gaiter and ear warmers. Oh, and gloves. When I got of my car at the race, I was SO stinkin' cold. Was so glad for all that gear and was giving crazy eyes to all the people walking around in their tshirts and shorts w/ their lovely blue noses and fingers.
Ran w/ my hydration belt which I had decked out w/ my new music player that hubby got me, and in my extra pouchy thingie I had my post-race snack (peanut m&m's and pretzels-love it), my camera and about 486 tissue.

I attached my bib# to my shorts as I figured I owuld probably be whipping off some layers down the road. I was concerned it would bother me but it worked out fine.
I really wish I had a friend to meet up with here as I felt so awkward walking around by myself. Of course I made it LOOK like I was looking for or waiting for someone so I was not QUITE so pathetic looking....

Here we are walking to the start line....That flag was HUGE. It was held up by 2 fire truck ladders and we got to run under it at the start, SO wish I would have gotten a picture of it.

This was about 10min before the anthem. This race is a 1/2 AND a 10K but us super cool 1/2er's got to start 10min before the 10Ker's. Gotta love special treatment.

Race started RIGHT on time which was nice. I lined up WAAAY at the back (there were only 478 people running the 1/2 so there really wasn't a WAAAY far back, but I was back there with the stragglers! I'd rather pass then BE passed!

I ran the first couple miles pretty slowly on purpose, wanted to save some gas for the end. The first mile was run on gravel which I am NOT used to. It's always ALL nice, hard, unforgiving cement for me. After the first couple few miles, I started to pass people which is a HUGE ego boost for me and makes me think I got a little Kara Goucher in me.

No not really.

The first 7 miles was great. About the middle of mile 7 we hit a pretty lengthy downhill, and being that I run on hills on EVERYone of my training runs, I have learned how to run the downhills speedily, but safely, so I took it like a mac truck and passed a bunch of people. but I got about 1/2 way down and thought 'golly gee is this hill EVER gonna end??' and right about the bottom I got an air bubble or something under my left rib cage. Painful. Then about a mile later got one under my right rib cage!! I was running out of energy at this point and said a prayer to God for strength and right after that I could almost PHYSICALLY feel someone pushing me from behind!!! It was like God saying 'Here, let me nudge you along for a bit and you rest' I LOVE when He does things like that=)

A bit after that my air bubbly things went away and I started to feel better but I was TIRED. The last 2 miles or so is a lot of uphill. However, I conserved energy for this and was able to pass a good number of people on this stretch. Even some dudes. I LOVE passing dudes and I love even MORE, passing dudes and having them try to speed up so you CANT pass them! HA!

Oh I did end up stripping my jacket in the first mile and my LS shirt about 3mi in. The cool weather, wind and drizzle were quite welcome after I had warmed up. Cant imagine running this race on a sunny warm day!

My garmin also, after mile 4, kept telling me a mile was up before I would hit the mile marker. Thought I ran the tangents well....but then again I also think I am a super speedy runner...until I see my shadow next to me plodding along....

anyway, so I was sure to keep an eye on my watch that last bit and at 13.1 it said 2:07:45....

however, my 'official' time is 2:08:57 which is what I will stick with. I cant wait to see how I would do on a flat course.

My next 1/2 will be the Omaha 1/2 which is ALSO hilly so I am hoping to make it into the Lincoln 1/2 next year as that is all flat, so I hear.


I obviously couldnt get a pic of myself at the finish so here is one of my friend Jen (didnt even know she was running it!)

Jen and I after the finish

The post-race blueberry bagels were SO yummy (and a nice chaser to my m&m's and pretzels)...they also had plain bagels (boring), bananas, and oranges as well as bottles of water and powerade. They had also been handing out water and powerade I think every mile or so and then PowerBar gels and energy beans at the 1/2 way point.

There wasnt much crowd support but what WAS there was very nice. They were very encouraging and the volunteers were great too.

Something I realize every race I have run is you can not judge a book by its cover. Some people that look SUPER speedy, will be the slowest runners out there and some people you think would be SO slow will whip out that speed like a CityBank Visa.

Me and oh so snazzy medal. My girls think its funny that I call it a medal when its really plastic =)

Still can NOT believe that I ran 13.1 CONTINUOUS miles...

On my training runs, I always have to stop a few times at intersections and such (or to pick up the stray penny), so to run 13.1 STRAIGHT (I didnt walk once!) was quite a feat.

This race was by FAR my favorite. If I dont get into Lincoln next year, I will definitely do it again.

Yesterday and today I am a bit sore in my hammies and hips but everything else feels great. I did a light workout yesterday morning and this morning (elliptical and a treadmill hike) just to get the blood flowing and the HR up a bit....I may try a run tomorrow or Thursday depending on how my legs feel.

So, what's next? I want to build my base mileage, work on running 4x a week instead of 3 and add in some speed work to bring my 5K time down and hopefully my 1/2 marathon time as well.

I LOVE RUNNING!!!!!

Crawling back into the bloggy world!!

Still alive and kickin' people!
Sorry to have abandoned this lovely blog for a spell, but life got busy (have I said that before? I think I've said that before)...

Anyway, lots of workouts in the last month but I'll just give you the running low down (and race report!) as I know that's the whole reason you come here. =)

April 5: 4mi 42:06
April 7: 4mi 43:19 (mill run)
Apr 9: 9mi 1hr 35min 04sec this run was tough tough tough!! Never got into a groove and the last 1/2 mile was ALL mental. One of those runs where you are SO thankful its over.
Apr 13: 3.75mi 36:28...1.25mi on the mill 11:50
Apr 15: 5mi 52:35 (mill run)
Apr 17: 10mi 1hr 41min 39sec 10min average pace! This run was WAAAY better than my long run on Apr 9, felt like I could go on forever!
Apr 19: 4.5mi 46:30 (mill run)
Apr 21: 4.75mi 45: 35
Apr 24: 11.5mi 1hr 51min (9:39 pace)...LONGEST RUN EVER! I was very pleased with my overall pace and had pretty negative splits. TOTALLY ran out of gas between miles 9-10 and my pace showed it. Somehow got my pep back at mile 10 and the last 1.5 miles were great!
Apr 26: 3.75mi 34:00 (9:04 pace)...fastest avg pace on a run over 3mi!!!!
Apr 28: 3.1mi 32:56...just giving the legs a nice easy run before my first 5K race of the year!
Apr 30: 5K race....will post in more detail below w/ the pictures, was .1mi short, time according to my garmin: 25:06, according to their finishline clock, 25:36

May 3: 3.2mi 32:50.....3mi 31:14...this was a run to AND from a meeting. First time I have ever done that. It was quite enjoyable!
May 6: 4mi 37:52...last tempo run before my first 1/2 marathon!
May 8: 9mi 1hr 29min 38sec (9:57 pace)...last long run before the 1/2! Splits 1(10:49) 2(10:26) 3(10:01) 4(9:46) 5(10:09-HORRIBLE side stitch) 6(10:06-side stitch has been evicted) 7(9:48) 8(9:25) 9(9:05)...pretty proud of how it ended! Got shin splints the first 1.5miles though...
May 10: 4mi 40:18...nice easy run. Got shin splints the first 1.5 mi AGAIN! This has me concerned about my shoes...they only have about 200miles on them.
May 12: 2.5mi 25:30 (mill run)...no shin splits! YAY! Also ran with a new music player my hubby got me...a sansa disk something or other. Its super petite so I kina sorta idolize it. =)

***First 1/2 marathon is coming up on Sunday! However I think I may be getting sick. Froggy throat, a little coughy etc. I am PRAYING its just some type of allergy thing (which I usually dont get), and am taking loads of C, zinc, ACV, etc...***


I have been counting calories alot lately to try to lose some extra baby flub on my tum tum. It's working!! I am down a few pounds and can fit into some of my jeans that were shoved in the back of the closet incase I ever got the stomach flu again, or was blessed with a tummy fat eating bug...

Incase you were wondering, here's what an ounce of potato chips looks like (on a plate next to a CD for a better size comparison) This is 150calories...

The sandwich that dooms me-the BLT. Seriously, you could slap bacon on anything but candy I would CHOW. IT. DOWN

My new favorite lunch. Life Balance tortilla shell (120), mustard (0), buddig ham (30)-ok so its not healthy but it gives it a good flavor =) and some lettuce and tomato (about 20cal)...baby carrots (15), pretzels (70) = 255 cal. Low cal and its actually very filling! sometimes I will have a cup of yogurt w/ fresh fruit in it for an extra 130 calories.

My oldest and myself enjoying the FAB weather last weekend. Which abruptly ended today. Boo.

*drumroll please*.................................

First 5K of the season!!!! LifeGate 5K Run/Walk

I actually got to run this race with some wonderful friends of mine which made it THAT much more enjoyable. I finally have running friends!! HOORAY

Well, the morning started off pretty chilly. The pic of above is pre-race. It was overcast too. Bleh. But thankfully it cleared up during the race and the sun came out!

This was a women/girls only race-fairly small as they only accept 200 participants. This race is in its 2nd year. Very well organized and lots of prizes given at the end. No timing chip though, only a finishline clock.

So we got started and lined up according to what we were doing. 5K runners at the top of the line, run/walkers next, walkers after that and the 1mi walk/runners after that.

So. We get started and literally not more than .05mi into the race my hydration belt comes FLYING off and all the bits and bobbles I have on it go with it (it has NEVER done this before). So I stop to pick it up thinking 'I'll just hold it and run' and then I thought 'are you nuts lady? You cant run holding on to all THAT!'

So I stop off to the side and get all hooked back up again (which is why there is such a difference in my watch finish time and the finishline time)....

As I am getting hooked back up, I see everyone FLYING past me and I am thinking 'this can not be happening, this can NOT be happening!!' So I get all set and then go FLYING past most everyone to get back up to the head of the line. This was a big mistake as it pretty much DRAINED me. I looked down at my watch at the 1.5mi mark and it said my avg pace was 7:55!!! That is INSANE for me. So I knew I was in trouble.

the photographer caught me at that moment and I was a HOT. MESS. I didnt get my belt hooked up right so it was hiking my shirt up, along with my bib and had settled right under my rib cage making me look like SUCH a tool. HERE it is if you want to see it. (I seceretly hope that link doesnt work)

Oh and what else totally stunk was the last .2miles or so was ALL up hill, like a GOOD sized hill. Wow. Totally kicked my tushy.

Splits were OBVIOUSLY very positive, and not in a good way =)

Mile 1(7:33-what the??) Mile 2(8:58-dying a slow death) Mile 3(8:38-SO glad its over)

Everytime I run a 5K race I think 'What on EARTH am I doing here?? This is the WORST experience EVER!!!!' and then when its over and that pukey feeling passes I think 'WOOHOO, whens the next one???' =)

**When you give your camera to a random guy and ask him to take pictures 'of us', you should specify that you want the WHOLE group....

HERE is a link to me after the race was done, trying SO hard not to puke


The hard work is paying off! Just this week I was able to fit into these size 0 Aeropostale capri's that I havent worn since having baby #5 (nursing a baby was an AWESOME calorie burner).

The dime-store-water-pistols that I am trying to trade in for some BIG guns! That's the most intimidating face I got. I'm workin' on it!!

Mar 25-Apr 4 workouts and randomness

Hello dear internets! We Nebraskans have been enjoying the brief stints of Spring-like weather we have been having! We made a trip to the zoo on Sunday-our first trip of the year *Jaidyn on my lap, Skylar to my left and Savannah next to her, Ariel was taking the picture. We still think our zoo is the best EVER! This has become a new favorite breakfast of mine. Steamed broccoli flowerets over brown rice and topped with shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Really. How can you go wrong when its topped w/ shredded cheese?? This tasty little bread has become a constant in our house lately since it seems like our bananas have been in a race lately to see who can go brown the fastest.

And a couple pictures of my snacks lately. I've been having fun with plate arranging, but I'm not for hire, so don't ask.

*this was fresh strawberries, bananas and grapes topped w/ vanilla yogurt. Oh how happy my mouth was.

One of my favorite meals. Mom's homemade chicken soup w/ green onions and homemade dumplings. Triple yum.

Now for some workouts!

Mar 25: elliptical 45:00 9.1 miles ....tried to keep the HR in the 130s-140s

LOWER BODY WEIGHTS

Mar 26: sit ups, push ups

Mar 27: 8 mile OUTDOOR RUN 1hr 23min 45 sec (10:28 avg pace) ....37* w/c of 25*....This run started out cloudy and the sun came out while I was running. Lovely. My splits were: mile 1(10:52), 2(10:30), 3(10:38), 4(10:09), 5(10:40), 6(10:34), 7(9:56), 8(10:23)...I was trying to keep my pace nice and easy. Don know what happened in mile 7 =) I also almost fell during this run. There was a HUGE lip on the sidewalk that I didnt see and the toe of my shoe caught it and I thought of sure I would go SPRAWLING but I did the funky propeller arms move and managed to not hit the ground. WHEW!

Mar 28: elliptical 50:00 10.5miles...0-20min level 1, 20-40 level 2, 40-50 level 3

mill walk 11:45 .75 miles4% incline

LOWER BODY WEIGHTS

SIT UPS, PUSH UPS, PLANKS

Mar 29: MILL RUN 4mi, 43:35

UPPER BODY WEIGHTS

Mar 30: Mill walk 50:30, 3mi, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8% inclines (10min at each)

LOWER BODY WEIGHTS (using 8# weights for all of it now!)

SIT UPS (+4 sets), PUSH UPS, PLANKS

Mar 31: elliptical 20:00 4.4mi (15min was at tempo pace, did this in the morning and my run in the evening

4mi OUTDOOR RUN 40:22 (10:06 ave pace) splits were 1(10:28), 2(10:25), 3(10:55), 4(8:33)

UPPER BODY WEIGHTS

Apr 1: elliptical 40:00, 9mi (Tempo pace)

Apr 2: elliptical 30:00 1.7mi 4, 5, 6% inclines (suppose to be a cardio rest day but I had to do a little something) =)

SIT UPS, PUSH UPS, PLANKS * I did TWO man push ups today!!!! I couldnt even squeak out ONE before I started the push up challenge!!!

Apr 3: 10K virtual race 59:08 (9:32 avg pace)...Holy mother of tough, this was HARD!!! I didnt realize how hilly of a route I mapped out til I ran it! My splits were: 1(10:15), 2(10:06), 3(9:50), 4(9:33), 5(9:18), 6(8:34) and the last .2mi I ran in 1:29 which is an avg pace of 7:28!! I had a 10K on my training plan for today so I decided to 'race it' and see what I could do. I am anxious to see what I could do on a flat course. This was really really tough, but I felt SO good to get it done in under an hour!!

Apr 4: mill walk 50:00, 3.1mi, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8% inclines, HR between 130-160

PUSH UPS, SIT UPS, PLANKS (did 3 reps for 30, 35 and 40 sec each!!)

For laughs, here is my little guy from the other day. Mommy forget to ask 'Does anyone know where Josh is?'....

He's lucky he's so cute.